By Star-Ledger Editorial Board
It costs $11,000 in tuition to attend Montclair State University each year, which is a sizable chunk of change for most people who thought state colleges were the affordable alternative.
So it was baffling that the taxpayer-supported institution thought it would be prudent to spend $210,000 on a 12-foot statue of its Red Hawk mascot, and given the negative reaction you read about it online and a high volume of alumni feedback, it might be time for Montclair to reconsider the project.
We all like sculpture. Art enriches our lives and our landscapes, but this is something that should have been funded through private or alumni funds, not the Student Government Association. The SGA ponied up half the cost after being sold on the notion that statue would “enhance school spirit” – and it’s merely coincidental that it looks like some screaming attack chicken.
The Record quoted one student named Jo Landau, who in two sentences said more than we can say: “You know what could really help school spirit?” she asked. “If tuition weren’t so high (and) if there were parking spots for everyone.”
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